Chapter 137 The Last Wish of an Ancient Farmer 16
The relaxing and pleasant days always pass quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the exam arrived.
This time, Chang'an sent Lin Jing to the examination room and then went home. Their home was not far from the examination room and could be reached in half a cup of tea.
Some people were unlucky and were assigned seats near the toilet. The smell there was too sour and they couldn't concentrate on the exam at all.
But when he thought about his ten years of hard study, his old parents with white hair and bent backs from fatigue, and his brothers and sisters who had done their best to let him study, what was wrong with him just enduring the smell of the toilet?
He comforted himself, and his confused mind gradually became clear. He wrote as if possessed by a god. He was very focused. It seemed that the feeling had left him and could no longer disturb him.
There were three exams in total, one lasting three days. You were not allowed to leave the exam room during those three days. You had to eat, drink and sleep in there. Some people didn’t even make it through the second day and were carried out.
Only a few people could not hold on in the first game, but in the second game, many people could not hold on anymore. Seven or eight people fell down. By the first day of the third game, more than a dozen people fell down.
Those who persevere in the end are the winners. Regardless of whether they pass the exam or not, at least they have accumulated experience.
The only one who was still full of energy after the whole exam was Lin Jing. He left the examination room like a gust of wind, and those who wanted to greet him put down their hands awkwardly.
While waiting for the results to be announced, many people were a little anxious, but Lin Jing and Chang'an went boating in the lake every day, mainly to play with the fat carp.
Chang'an put her hand into the water, and a fat carp swam over and rubbed her fingers.
"Fatty, will you come with me?"
"If you don't say anything, I'll take it as your agreement."
As soon as Chang'an finished speaking, the fat carp was put into the river in the space by her. The fat carp was a little confused by the sudden change of location. It jumped out of the water and looked several times. It was indeed changed to a new location.
Where is its cub? It was playing with it just now.
No matter where this place is, the spiritual energy is so rich.
After putting the little fat carp into the space, she never went swimming in the lake again. On the day when the results were announced, Lin Jing still carried Chang'an with her.
Unsurprisingly, the first place winner was Lin Jing again.
Lin Jing glanced at the second place, the guy sitting next to the toilet, and was a little surprised. He thought he was a man who could achieve great things.
Lin Jing's calm and composed appearance formed a sharp contrast with the candidates around him who were either excited, happy, frustrated or lost.
The old emperor was on a private visit in disguise, and he saw the reactions of the students in the teahouse opposite.
He was extremely satisfied with Lin Jing and thought that "this boy is capable of taking on great responsibilities."
Luo Xingchen: "He is indeed different from others."
Gu Laoliu, who was following his daughter and Lin Jingshen on the opposite side, raised his eyes to look at a private room in the teahouse opposite. He knew who was there at a glance, and he withdrew his gaze indifferently.
After accepting everyone's congratulations, Lin Jing took Chang'an home. It was almost time for dinner after being out all morning.
Before the palace examination, their house closed its doors to visitors and only opened them on the day of the examination. This time Chang'an did not see him off.
Those who took the palace examination went to the imperial palace to take the test. The chief examiner was the emperor himself. The test questions were policy questions, and the questions the emperor asked were about current political affairs or classics and historical events.
Lin Jing was once again far ahead, and the emperor personally selected him as the top scholar. He was one of the top three scholars in the imperial examination, which was quite impressive.
The second place was Yao Junshan, the man who sat next to the toilet during the imperial examination. The third place was a handsome young man from an aristocratic family. Of course, he was also talented. He had both beauty and talent.
The old emperor overruled all objections and appointed Lin Jing as the fifth-rank imperial tutor on the spot, and appointed Yao Junshan and Tanhualang as the sixth-rank editors of the Hanlin Academy.
After the parade, the three men were allowed to return home to report the good news, and the emperor even sent people to escort them in order to protect them.
Lin Jing wanted to refuse, as those people were delaying his journey, but then he thought of the original owner's last wish, so he decided to be as high-profile as possible and get everyone excited.
Chang'an and the others did not go along this time. This was Lin Jing's unique highlight moment and he did not need any accompaniment.
Lin Jing and his companions traveled day and night and finally returned to Linjia Village after a month and a half.
He was wearing a red top scholar's uniform, riding a tall horse, with a big red flower on his chest. Two yamen runners in front of the team were carrying gongs and beating them "clang clang clang" happily.
When the children in the village saw him, they immediately ran back to the village and said, "Brother Lin Jing has won the top prize in the imperial examination." He had already asked about it, and it was clear that he was the top prize winner.
The child ran and shouted, and soon everyone in the village ran out excitedly. Lin Jing's parents ran out crying, they were crying tears of joy. After more than ten years of hard work, they finally saw the results.
Everyone exchanged greetings for a while at the entrance of the village. The head of the village and the elders opened the ancestral hall, and they were all waiting for Lin Jing in the hall.
The head of the village took out the firecrackers stored in the ancestral hall and set off several strings of them with a "crackling" sound. His old eyes were almost dying of laughter.
After worshipping the ancestors, he returned to Lin Jing's home, knelt down and kowtowed three times to Lin's father and mother, "Thank you, Dad and Mom, for your hard work and cultivation, and thank you, brothers and sisters-in-law, for your strong support."
Lin Jing thanked everyone in the family, even his two-year-old niece.
Lin family: ...There’s no need to be so polite.
Two-year-old niece: ??? Does my uncle know that she didn’t eat his cakes secretly?
The Lin family slaughtered pigs and chickens to entertain the whole village. Anyone who could help came to lend a hand, and the Lin family's yard was bustling with activity.
The people who came back with him had dinner at the Lin family, told Lin Jing that they would wait for him in the city, and then left Linjia Village with the yamen runners.
When the excitement was over and only their family was there, Lin Jing began to ask everyone in the family about their plans, "Dad, Mom, do you brothers want to go to the capital?"
If they go, he will definitely arrange their lives and let them have no worries.
After all, their dream has always been to leave Linjia Village and see the outside world.
But what he didn't expect was that Lin's father, Lin's mother and several brothers all shook their heads and said they would not go.
Brother Lin: "We won't go, so as not to hold you back."
Second Brother Lin: "Yes, we have discussed with eldest brother and decided to open a pastry shop in the city. I learned how to make pastries at Changsheng Restaurant. I'm not bragging, my skills are really great."
He really wasn't bragging, he was a smart guy who always had unexpected ideas, and he would definitely become famous.
"Dad, Mom?" Lin Jing looked at the two elders. Hadn't they always said that they wanted to go and see the imperial city?
"Your father and I are old and don't want to go anywhere, so we'll just stay here. Come back when you have time. If you don't have time, remember to write home and let us know you are safe."
Lin Jing did not force it. Originally, he wanted to take care of them in this dimension until the end of their lives if they all went to the capital.
Since no one is going, then he shouldn't make any arrangements.
(Off topic: In ancient times, the first place in the imperial examination was called Huiyuan, and there was no specific title for the second and third place. Those who passed the examination were all called Gongshi.)